Friday, April 8, 2011

Soldier stationed in Afghanistan bemoans rash of accidental gunshot wounds

Doonesbury comic strip hosts a website called The Sandbox. It is a forum for service members currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The purpose is to focus on "the unclassified details of deployment - the everyday, the extraordinary, the wonderful, the messed-up, the absurd."
This week there is a post from Scott in Afghanistan titled Gun Safety 101. The post begins:
"The week has been notable for a rash of accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wounds by ANA troops. Three incidents in the past week, to feet, legs, and even the abdomen. Invariably they were just cleaning their weapon when it went off."
The number of unintentional gunshot injuries promoted Scott to offer the Forward Surgical Team's Gun Safety Tips which includes the advice:
Rule 1 - DON'T SHOOT YOURSELF
Rule 2 (Modified) - UNLESS YOU ARE IN A FIREFIGHT WITH THE ENEMY, DON'T SHOOT ANYONE ELSE
Ohh shoot.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

ANA = Afghan National Army.

They're "cleaning" their weapons fully loaded.

We don't ban cars just because you can't start a car with a manual transmission. Why should we ban guns (which, unlike cars, are constitutionally protected) just because some cave-dwelling tribesman can't clean his AK properly?